The present invention relates to display devices, in particular thin picture display devices capable of providing the illusion of moving pictures. The present invention also relates to such display devices which are particularly economic to produce and which may also be disposable.
Display devices capable of providing the illusion of moving pictures are well known, and include projectors (both cinematographical as well as tele-video), used typically in the cinema and in large tele-video displays; cathode ray tubes used extensively in Television sets and in computer display screens; liquid crystal displays (LCD""s), used extensively in notebook and laptop computers; light-emitting diodes (LED""s), used for very large displays; field emission displays and vacuum fluorescent displays among others.
Prior art display devices are relatively complex items and are thus relatively expensive to manufacture. While LCD""s for example have been steadily reducing in price over recent years, primarily due to the explosion in the demand for laptop, palmtop and notebook computers worldwide, they are still relatively expensive items costing between tens and hundreds of dollars to manufacture, and in some cases much more. Most certainly the screens used in such applications have a relatively long life, being generally serviceable and intended to be used repeatedly, and are thus never contemplated as disposable items in the sense of being used once or at most several times only, to be discarded after such limited use without significant economic loss. Therefore, display devices have not been incorporated in a host of many and varied applications in which they could provide an advantage since the costs heretofore associated with such prior art devices render their use in such applications totally uneconomic.
For example, the packaging of consumer products has traditionally taken the form of a static visual image, printed onto a suitable packaging material, designed to enable a consumer to readily identify the product and manufacturer thereof, and to appeal to potential customers. The use of motion pictures in attracting the attention of potential customers to a given product is a very powerful marketing tool, and is used extensively in the form of televideo advertising. However, the drawback in such advertising is that it does not generally occur at the point of sale, but rather when the potential customer is at home. While broadcasting tele-video advertisements in a store may attract potential customers to a particular product in some measure, customers do not in general tend to watch such televised advertisements while actually shopping. Further, tele-video advertising in a store does not necessarily overcome broadcast problems relating to the advertising of material, or material of interest, with respect to all goods simultaneously, or even regarding the goods in which a customer may be interested on any particular day. Product advertising on the product itself and by means of a display device capable of providing the illusion of moving pictures is herein considered to be a powerful advertising tool at the point of sale, and therefore potentially a very valuable marketing tool. However to be economically viable, such a display device has to be very inexpensive to manufacture.
Thus, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a picture display device capable of displaying moving pictures at very low cost.
It is another aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device capable of displaying a single image when desired by a user.
It is another aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device capable of displaying a series of images, one at a time, in any order desired by the user.
It is also an aim of the present invention to provide such a device which may be attached to the packaging of a very wide variety of products, or optionally which may be integral with the said packaging.
In addition to on-product advertising, there are many and varied applications in which such a low-cost picture display device, in particular capable of providing moving pictures or at least a series of pictures, would be very advantageous.
For example, there are certain types of lottery tickets in general use in which the user has to rub off certain portions of the ticket to uncover a hidden message or characters. If the message or character matches a predetermined format, then the user is declared a winner. Such lottery tickets could take the form of a picture display device, in which only, say, one or a series of pictures may be viewed. A user would activate the picture by actuating a switch, for example, and the picture that is then displayed is compared to the winning image format.
It is thus another aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device adapted for use as a lottery ticket.
Bill boards, of all sizesxe2x80x94some rather large are used for advertising along the sides of streets and highways, and usually comprise a poster featuring a particular visual image and/or message. Some billboards are more sophisticated and enable up to 3 different images or messages to be displayed on the same bill board, by dividing the billboard into a series of parallel adjacent prismatic elements, triangular in transverse cross section and pivotable about a longitudinal axis. The prismatic elements can then be rotated about the pivot axes to display, in turn, each of the corresponding first, second and third faces of adjacent elements, thereby displaying one of three different visual images or messages in cycles. Low-cost picture display devices capable of providing moving images on a bill-board-sized display would thus enable the advertising of products, services or notices, for example, in the form of a large-scale tele-video presentation, perhaps similar to television or cinema commercials. Such a device, particularly if low-cost, would radically change the face of billboard advertising.
Another possible application of such a low-cost picture display device includes traffic and street signs. In particular, such a display device would be particularly advantageous where the nature of the message displayed by the street signs needs to be periodically changed, particularly cyclically. For example, on a street zone in which parking is only permitted on certain times of the day, such a display device may incorporate two images, say, one denoting the area as a parking zone, and the other image denoting a no-parking zone. A chronometer connected to the device enables either one or the other sign to be displayed at the appropriate times.
It is thus another aim of the present invention to provide a picture display device, in particular a low-cost picture device, adapted for use as an outdoors bill-board for advertising, for use as traffic/street signs, as well as for other related uses.
Postcards and greeting cards, such as birthday cards for example, are also traditionally static visual images printed onto a stiff substrate. Postcards and greeting cards adapted to incorporate picture display devices capable of providing moving images on the cards at low cost would have a radical impact in the postcard and greeting card market.
It is thus another aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device adapted for use as postcards and as greeting cards of every variety, including personal and seasonal greeting cards.
Similarly low-cost picture display devices capable of providing moving images, or at least a series of static images, could provide a very attractive alternative to displaying material now commonly found in books, and in particular comics, magazines and brochures (e.g., travel brochures, motorcar brochures etc.). Such devices could optionally display images or information as a moving picture, or optionally as a series of images, appearing one at a time as desired by the user, specially when the images represent printed matter as, for example, the pages of a book.
It is thus another aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device adapted for use to display material commonly found in books, comics, magazines, brochures and other printed matter.
Another possible application of low-cost picture display devices capable of providing moving images is as a means of providing easy-to-follow instructions. For example, instructions on how to assemble an item of furniture could be incorporated into such a device as a series of images, in which each image, or a set of images, represents a different stage in the assembly. Each instruction can then be viewed by the user at will.
It is thus another aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device adapted for use as an instruction manual.
It is also another aim of the present invention to provide a picture display device adapted for displaying video images, including for example movies. In particular, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device for displaying said video images.
It is also another aim of the present invention to provide a picture display device adapted for displaying computer generated images. It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a low-cost picture display device for displaying computer generated images. In particular, it is also an aim of the present invention to provide a picture display screen capable of being used in conjunction with computers, including desk-top, lap-top, notebook and palm-top computers.
It is also another aim of the present invention to provide such low-cost picture devices which are disposable, particularly in an environment-friendly manner.
The above aims of the present invention are achieved with a revolutionary picture display device based on a substrate carrying a plurality of cells each of which can exhibit a change in colour and/or emit light as a direct or indirect result of the passage of a suitable electric current through the cell and/or the application of a suitable electric voltage to the cell. The cells each comprise electrical input and output connections which enable the cells to be connected to an electrical power source. The cells themselves comprise configurations which are relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture. By selectively choosing some cells to change colour at given times, a sequence of images, or the illusion of a moving picture may be created on the device. The device may thus be operatively connected to a suitable computer to operate as a computer screen or to a television/video system to operate as a viewing screen. Alternatively, the device may be adapted to display still and/or moving images in a very cost-effective manner by connecting the chosen colour cells for each xe2x80x9cpicture framexe2x80x9d or image to the suitable electrical power source by means of a simple frame circuit board which comprises a unique circuit to connect the power source to the chosen cells. The device thus comprises a plurality of frame circuit boards, each frame circuit board providing all the necessary connections between the power source and the chosen cells of the device per frame. The power source can then be connected to each frame circuit board at will by the user, thereby providing a series of still images. Alternatively, a sequencing switch may be used to connect each of the frame circuit boards to the power source in a predetermined sequence and at a predetermined rate to enable the illusion of a moving image to be provided. The substrate may be flexible and thus enable the device to be particularly adaptable to being used in connection with product packaging such as cartons, bottles and the like. Alternatively, the substrate may also be rigid or semi rigid, enabling the device to be particularly adaptable for use in connection with such uses as computer screens, bill-boards and the like.
The present invention thus also relates to frame circuit boards as a simple and inexpensive method of connecting a power source to a picture display device.
The present invention also relates to novel sequencing switches enabling connections between at least one electrical conductor and each of a plurality of conductors to be effected sequentially at a variable rate and in a cost effective manner, particularly adaptable to be used in printed circuits and microcircuits. In particular, the present invention relates to sequencing switch means capable of interconnecting a power source to each one of a plurality of frame circuit boards of said device.